Dr Deborah Serach Gold died on the cross sometime during a night of freezing rain mixed with sleet in late October of my last year at Three. It probably wasn’t the worst thing that happened to her that day, but it had been over two decades in the making, and there’s no doubt lives could have been saved if anybody here had known that at the time. How many of them actually should have been saved is a fair question, but one I have no answer for.

Just trying to imagine what torture and brutality Dr Gold had endured before her final execution, evokes all of the adjectives from Mark’s quote and I am left wondering exactly how many others have met their demise in the intervening years, by what method and just why someone may have come to the conclusion that many of them weren’t worth saving! …

We don’t yet know exactly what sort of Doctor, Deborah Gold is, perhaps that has some bearing on proceedings!

If those first few lines aren’t quite enough for you, you can find out more about both book and author here …

…

WHAT IS ‘BOOK BEGINNINGS’ AND HOW CAN YOU JOIN IN THE FUN

Would the first few lines of your book make you want to read on?

If so, would you like to share them with us, (without revealing too many spoilers of course) ?

You can then leave a link to your own book beginnings post, or just browse for some great reads, there are always plenty of new authors and titles to be discovered.

Don’t forget that Gilion and all the other contributors to this meme love to hear from you, so why not leave a comment or two at the same time?

I can’t wait to do a little blog hopping myself and check out all the great Book Beginnings you have!

…

As this was a Goodreads competition win, I received a complimentary hardcover copy of the book directly from publisher Canongate.

This will in no way influence any comments I may express about the book, in any blog article I may post. Any thoughts or comments are my own personal opinion and I am in no way being monetarily compensated for this, or any other article.

I too, hope that this book stays as intense throughout, although it is a very difficult one to call, as the reviews and ratings have been all over the place, right the way from 2/5 to 5/5, with the overall average being below 4.

None of my Goodreads circle of friends have read ‘Blackbird’ yet, so I guess that I am going to be the guinea pig!

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you taking the time to comment and hope that you enjoy your weekend.

Indeed, that is a “grabber” of an opening line, setting the stage with many unanswered questions!

I’m less than half way through Solomon’s Bride by Rebecca Hazell (book two in the trilogy) and I hesitate to share the first line, as it might be a spoiler for anyone else reading the series. I will say I’m thoroughly enjoying it!

I probably won’t review the series because it would be hard to really talk about the second two books without giving away plot (though Tracy did an excellent job in her reviews). I don’t mind, though, because it’s to be expected, given the trilogy progresses in time with the main character’s life. It’s pretty much unavoidable.

The whole opening does sound quite intense doesn’t it and I am left wondering if any of the other victims had died in the same way, or if Dr. Gold had had anything to do with their deaths and this is the way someone chose to take their revenge!

I am also intrigued about the book’s title and can’t wait to find out if there is any reference to a blackbird further into the story, or if this is simply a notional title, which has no real reference to the storyline.

I do miss your lovely posts and blog, but fully understand why you felt it was the right time for you to bow out. I hope that your new blog free freedom means that you have quality time for your other hobbies (including reading of course) and that your family time is more fulfilling.

That opening both hooks you and confuses you 🙂 But the confusion is one you want to push through and resolve by reading on.

i’m recommending Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Don’t have it in front of me to give you the opening lines, but I love its complex exploration of what identity means and the fluidity of identity (how it changes throughout one’s life as one responds to different historical and social and personal pressures).

You are so right about the hook and confusion thing, going on in that first paragraph. This sentence in particular has definitely raised more questions than answers ….

“It probably wasn’t the worst thing that happened to her that day, but it had been over two decades in the making, and there’s no doubt lives could have been saved if anybody here had known that at the time”.

I wonder just what Dr. Gold has been doing that is so terrible and demands such retribution?

Since I began blogging and reviewing, I have read some excellent books form around the world and ‘Americanah’ sounds like a great addition to my list of countries, thanks for sharing it with me.

First Lines

-.- PROLOGUE …. APRIL 1935 “David Graham stood over his wife’s grave while the minister prayed. Her favorite spring lilies adorned her casket, and she would be laid to rest under the shade of a beautiful maple, just like the tree he had proposed under at that picnic over twenty years ago.” -.- CHAPTER ONE […]

Random Quote

When I was growing up I read books all the time but never dreamed I would write one myself. Books were my escape rather than my reality. I was a child who enjoyed school and my most inspirational teachers were those that taught English and shared my passion for people who existed both on paper and in the imagination.